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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585416">Sparring Groove</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Symphoenae/pseuds/Symphoenae'>Symphoenae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gift Fic Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I have no reasoning for this one shot, Mentions of Claudia - Freeform, and yet here it is</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:47:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>868</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Symphoenae/pseuds/Symphoenae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Whenever Rayla ended up training in front of Callum, the artist in him always noticed a pattern of gradual increasing effort. She'd start off slowly, gently in a way despite the fact she was quite literally slicing her blades through the air on a consistent basis and could probably kill him in a single swing. But as she continued, she really started getting into it and it was like the world around her ceased to exist. Just her, her blades, and the enemy- the enemy being the air. It was amusing to watch, and after awhile, Callum would notice that he could hear a song in her movements.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gift Fic Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697743</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sparring Groove</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piecesofarose/gifts">Piecesofarose</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarssaur1004/gifts">Sugarssaur1004</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I don't know. I don't know what this is supposed to be but fuckin. Take it. My synesthete ass got possessed by Danimal Cannon and made me write this and as much as it probably sucks you canNOT TELL ME CORRUPTED'S BEAT DROP ISN'T THE SICKEST SHIT</p>
<p>also I put Synesthete!Callum in this again because I will never. Not project myself onto the baby boy</p>
<p>Song Counterpart: Corrupted - Danimal Cannon &amp; Zef</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Whenever Rayla ended up training in front of Callum, the artist in him always noticed a pattern of gradual increasing effort. She'd start off slowly, gently in a way despite the fact she was quite literally slicing her blades through the air on a consistent basis and could probably kill him in a single swing. But as she continued, she really started getting into it and it was like the world around her ceased to exist. Just her, her blades, and the enemy- the enemy being the air. It was amusing to watch, and after awhile, Callum would notice that he could hear a song in her movements.</p>
<p>This type of weird sense blending was nothing new to him- the amount of times he'd heard color in sounds was past his ability to count. Any sound would do, even down to the rhythmic scratching of his own charcoal pencil on the pages of he sketchbook when he drew. But hearing a sound, or a song, in motions? This was a new thing. Rayla always seemed to have that affect on him- allowing him to do what he thought impossible just by being around him. She was so good to him in ways she'd never know.</p>
<p>Callum made it a habit to keep his sense blending a secret. Mainly because it sounded stupid, even to him, on a good day. He expected ridicule if he ever opened his mouth to speak about it. So it became his guilty little secret. His leg bounced to the beat of Rayla's motions as she began another round of training. She always called it sparring, despite the fact she never actually fought anyone. Maybe it was just a mind game, pretending that you were fighting someone to push yourself into performing better. Callum thought she always did amazing, but he was biased. Not that he cared about his bias. She started slowly, just like she always did, and so did the song in his head as it lined itself up with the tempo of her movements.</p>
<p>He watched in a strange daze as her motions grew ever quicker, her strikes with her blades growing ever fiercer, intimidated with awe at the fire in her lilac eyes. Rayla would occasionally glance over at him while she practiced, as if he expression of wonder was something that kept her going. It wasn't just the movement of her blades that captured his attention, it was her overall movement. Slick dodges and graceful flips despite no one posing a threat to her there. It was a wonderful show to his eyes, and a lovely treat to his ears- but she'd never know that latter part.</p>
<p>Callum hadn't noticed the fact that his hand had been moving on its own, scratching away at a page in his sketchbook, until Rayla had finished her training session and startled him out of his own dead-eyed stare against the castle wall.</p>
<p>"Drawing me again, are ya?" She teased with a tired grin, eyes flicking from the page to his face to... his bouncing leg. "What's the deal with the leg bouncin'? You feeling restless or something?"</p>
<p>He blinked. "What?"</p>
<p>She snorted. "Your leg, Callum. It's been bouncing like a hyperactive baby dragon the entire time I was training. What's the deal?"</p>
<p>He considered spilling his entire secret to her right then and there. "Oh... I guess just a nervous tick? Not-not that I'm nervous right now, at least I don't think I am, I think it's just a habit..." He trailed off lamely. That was such a poor excuse.</p>
<p>Rayla eyed him curiously. "Ooookay... Remind me not to ask next time." She paused, sitting down next to him on the bench under the tree's shade. "Your sketchbook, hand it over. I wanna see what brilliant masterpiece of me you've made this time."</p>
<p>Callum obliged, earning a soft kiss on his cheek from his girlfriend, which he gladly accepted. She zoned out again, focused on studying the image presented to her. While she was analyzing the simple sketch (in his opinion, anyway) he considered the stance he'd drawn Rayla in. It was a clear pose of an offensive rush towards an unknown target, but there was a hidden second interpretation in the piece, if you knew what to look for. In his zoning out, he'd made her dynamic pose look like a rush forward as well as a dancing step. Dancing to the song in his head, no doubt. But it wasn't like he could explain something like that to anyone else.</p>
<p>"Amazing at always. My dorky artist." Rayla cooed softly, bringing him back to reality.</p>
<p>He grinned. "I take it that you like it?"</p>
<p>"I like all of your art, Callum."</p>
<p>"Yknow, I have a few drawings of Claudia that would beg to differ."</p>
<p>Rayla scowled playfully at him. "I have my reasons. You're mine, not hers. Unfortunate for her that she missed out on all of," she gestured to him, "this."</p>
<p>"Charming."</p>
<p>She handed his sketchbook back to him, opting to use her hands to wrap herself around him instead. "I'm glad that I inspire you."</p>
<p>Oh, did she ever... but she would never fully know the extent of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For the ArtEEsts that draw good content that keeps me alive every day while I slowly go mad because I can't go out and see my irl friends and I sWEAR TO GOD IF QUARANTINE LASTS PAST MY BIRTHDAY I AM GOING TO GO APESHIT and jump out my window and walk to my bffs house despite the risks IM FUCKING BORED</p>
<p>Anyways this is what I feed you while I procrastinate on SOS chapter 10, along with the second part for the Corrupted!Callum AU and don't even talk to me about Primal Groupchat</p>
<p>Also I'm not going to justify the fact that computer techno exists in Callum's head despite the time period the show is in okay let me live</p></blockquote></div></div>
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